Color guide · Dutch Boy · Gray

Elegant Gray

429-3DB · #A8B8B7 · LRV 46 · cool blue-green tone

429-3DB · #A8B8B7 · LRV 46 — cool blue-green tone, mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.

Elegant GrayDutch Boy · 429-3DB
The color, edge to edge.Use your own photo →
Elegant Gray
DUTCH BOY · 429-3DB · #A8B8B7
Brand · codeDutch Boy429-3DB · all Dutch Boy grays
LRV46Mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light.
Undertonecool blue-green tone
FamilyGray
Hex · RGB · HSL#A8B8B7 · 168, 184, 183 · 176°, 10%, 69%Display values from the brand. Match it at another brand
Sheen we recommendEggshell on walls · satin on trim and cabinetsWhich sheen where, explained
Where it sits, light to dark
  1. 1Retreat21
  2. 2Dovetail26
  3. 3Elegant Gray46
  4. 4Upward57
  5. 5Sea Salt63
Undertone and depth

What Color Is Elegant Gray, Really?

Elegant Gray reads as a cool blue-green tone — mid-tone — versatile but shifts visibly with light. The notes below cover how Dutch Boy 429-3DB behaves in different light and the closest matches at competing US brands.

Room by room

Best Rooms and Uses for Elegant Gray

Elegant Gray is versatile enough for full rooms but has enough depth to anchor a space, so it suits living rooms, bedrooms and cabinetry alike. Grays like this read as a modern neutral and sit comfortably alongside both warm woods and cool metals.

Light by light

How Lighting Changes Elegant Gray

Elegant Gray sits in the mid-range at LRV 46, so it shifts visibly through the day — lighter and more open in morning light, deeper and moodier after dark. Its teal undertone is the part to watch: it gets picked up by whatever sits next to it, so test it against your trim, floor and the room's main light before committing. South-facing rooms will pull it lighter and warmer, while north light cools it down.

Test it in your light, not a showroom's

Most complaints about Elegant Gray are a light mismatch. Upload a photo of your actual room and see it on your walls — then ask for the same wall in north light or evening lamps before you buy a single sample.

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Visualize in your room
Same color, different store

Need It From Another Brand?

Any paint counter can custom-tint Dutch Boy 429-3DB directly. If you would rather stay in one brand's own deck, these are the closest stock matches, measured as ΔE2000. Under 2 is a difference you will not see on the wall.

Same deck, next chip over

Similar Dutch Boy Colors

The nearest shades to Elegant Gray within Dutch Boy's own range, ranked by perceptual color distance — useful when you want the same look a touch lighter, darker, or warmer.

Contrast, for text and signage
Black text on Elegant Gray · 10.2 : 1 · passes AA and AAAWhite text on Elegant Gray · 2.1 : 1 · fails for text

WCAG 2.1: AA is 4.5 : 1 for normal text, 3 : 1 for large text, AAA is 7 : 1.

Coordinated palette

Generated by hue-rotating #A8B8B7 in HSL space. Pair Elegant Gray with one accent and one neutral — the swatches below are starting points, not final picks.

COMPLEMENTARY
#A8B8B7 + #B8A8A9
TRIADIC
#A8B8B7 · #B7A8B8 · #B8B7A8
ANALOGOUS
#A8B8AF · #A8B8B7 · #A8B1B8

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Jessica Williams

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